CHADBOURN, NC (WWAY) -- Jasmine Thar was shot and killed outside of a Chadbourn home last December and nearly four months later no one has been arrested. The shooter claims it was an accident, but now state and federal investigators are involved.

She lives next door to the home where 16 year-old Thar died in the front yard. A single bullet fired from inside a home across the street killing Thar and wounding two other relatives.

“I got down on my knees beside Jasmine and I held her hand,” Bright recalls. “I felt so useless because there was really nothing I could do.”

23-year-old James Blackwell, who lived across the street, told Chadbourn Police his Remington Model 700 rifle fired without pulling the trigger.

“The guy across the street fell to his knees screaming 'no, no!' because he could not believe he did it,” Bright says.

Blackwell was taken to the police station in handcuffs that day, but was later released. The case however, is far from over. District Attorney Jon David says after the shooting, he requested both the SBI and FBI to help investigate alongside Chadbourn Police.

The Civil Rights unit within the FBI is reportedly looking into whether the incident was a tragic accident or a crime.

“I think about her all the time,” Bright says. “I will never forget her name. I will never forget that scene. But, I do believe that it was a tragic accident. I don't think it was on purpose.”

Jasmine's family has launched an online petition at signon.org, which has already generated about 9,000 signatures.

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I have said it before and will again. Guns in the hands of the untrained and unskilled is and will always be.....TROUBLE. When people decide that they want to handle firearms they should at the very least seek a gun safety program to attend. Once a person learns the proper storage and methods of handling the risk of accident goes way down. Never assume anything about a gun except that they are very dangerous. Don't assume your gun is unloaded, or the safety is on, Don't point your gun in any direction other than straight up or straight down. Parents that decide to keep guns in a home must teach their children to never play with the gun and never handle the guns unsupervised. A gun can only kill what it's pointed toward and it's not the guns fault what it's pointed at. I pray this incident was unintended but as you say it is a form of Manslaughter.

The model 700 has a reputation of firing without pulling the trigger.It is a very popular rifle but has had a few instances of firing without the holder of the rifle dropping it or even with their hand near the trigger.

It's like saying that I have a car that has the reputation of accelerating without pushing the pedal. Should I drive it? to me is ridiculous to carry a gun that could end up on killing somebody and then play dumb.

There are currenty dozens of lawsuits pending against Remington related to alleged misfirings of the model 700 rifle. So there may be validity to what this guy is saying. And by the way, a couple of years ago, Toyota recalled 2.2 million vehicles because they did in fact accelerate without the driver pushing the gas pedal.

USA is becoming a black/white country again. So sick of all the blacks crying all the time. Its all about RACE with black folks. I have never had any problems with them, have had them over for meals in my home, and have always treated them like family, but you are beginning to make me feel different towards you all. You never cry when blacks do things to whites because you don't see color. But when the role is reversed, color is all black folks ever see.
Where was your petition and crying in this matter below?

U sound lik an undercover racist, with the "YOU ALL", the "any problems with THEM" and the "had THEM over for meals". People lik u sicken me~as if ur doing African Americans any favors by befriending them! You and your people hav never been oppressed or hated for something as simple as your skin color, so u would never understand! As whites you always expect justice just because you're white. As African Americans, we've always had to beg, plead, and cry for justice, so u and the many others who agree with u, DO The Math!!!!!

I am a black woman who is also sick of the race card being pulled in this country... To say the least, this country is still a very RACIST place to be but not just against blacks but really against anyone who is non-white, IN SOME CASES... You should be upset with the media and not ALL black people because for one there is NO WAY on earth you know how all of black people feel... The media fuels this crap with one sided stories that urges people to choose a side when the majority of the time. All the facts are not present... Also, the point of your links were to do what??? In those cases, ALL the guilty black people where brought up on charges, facing their entire lives behind bars with one being on DEATH ROW, which they DESERVE!!! In these case, you proved the other point and didn't even know it because, JUSTICE was SERVED!!! This does not equate to the same kind of case that this blog is about and your evidence was just a justification of how you TRULY feel about black people I think... The petition was started I believe because NO ONE is in jail, DUH!!! And investigation should have been done, no questions asked but it wasn't and that is unsettling to me as well... I'm not asking that the man be thrown to the wolves but a life (no matter of color) has been taken, do some research police!!! Lastly, if "you are starting to feel different" about all of your black friends, you should just live alone in your house and de-friend EVERYONE (black or white) you know because opinions are like buttholes buddy, everyone has them and YOU ARE not going to be able to control the way others may view things or feel... I'm SO SICK of whites using what SOME blacks do against the others who may not even view things the same as some others do, using this reason AGAINST the WHOLE race... Just like GOD will do on that great day, "judge EACH MAN accordingly"... Try it sometimes, its liberating...

"To say the least, this country is still a very RACIST place to be but not just against blacks but really against anyone who is non-white, IN SOME CASES..." Typical B.S. Give it a rest will ya? Who are you trying to fool? Yourself? At this point in your life you should realize that there are just as many black racist as whites. Everything and I mean everything is blamed on the whites. Give it a break already, it's yesterday's B.S and it isn't working anymore. You are sick of whites using what blacks do as an excuse and we are damn sick of blacks using whites as ANY kind of excuse. It works both ways stupid.

They've been given rights, they are given opportunities in education and the workplace where they either succeed, fail to utilize or fail to complete, so they must have SOMEWHERE to place the blame. They'll use the color of their skin as an excuse rather than be accountable and responsible for their own success with the grasp of opportunity...or lack thereof.

They have no other excuses othet than the race card anymore. You'll rarely, if ever find a successful black person pulling the race card. At least none of MY successful friends don't...and never have.

there is that race card again still waiting for someone to tell me what a race card is racist and racism is here and will always be here and people will be judged by the color there skin and that is a fact rather you want to believe it or not and if you look deep into your past you were one of those .

I don't think that this has anything to do with race. by the way if the shoe fits wear it! This is about justice being served! If it was someone black that did this they would have been locked up with no questions asked! It clearly seems to be a tragic accident but Why would someone be cleaning a loaded gun think about it! This world clearly has it's racial issues that needs to be rectified, we all need to come together and fix this problem in stead of pulling against each other thats why we are far behind and losing as a wholeand this country is going down due to this RACIAL issues!